New Su-35 Air Superiority Fighters Delivered to the Russian Aerospace Forces

The Russian Aerospace Forces have received a new batch of Su-35 long range air superiority fighters, as efforts to further expand the type’s scale of production continue. The number of aircraft in the latest batch is not specified, although it is the third batch to be announced since the beginning of the year, with the delivery of the first and second batches announced in April and May. The Su-35 is one of four fighter types currently being procured by the Russian Armed Forces, alongside the Su-30SM2 and Su-34M, which are derivatives of the same Soviet Su-27 Flanker design, and the new Su-57 fifth generation fighter. 

Commenting on the Su-35’s performance at the time of delivery, a pilot was quoted by state media observing: “This equipment works without complaints, the crew finds it comfortable to fly… We carry out various tasks on this aircraft: intercepting air targets at long range, covering strike groups and ground targets, destroying unmanned aerial vehicles, and delivering precision strikes against ground and surface targets with high-precision weapons. We also conduct reconnaissance, uncovering enemy positions at significant depth from the line of contact.”

While significant efforts have been made to modernise the less costly Su-30 to narrow performance gaps with the Su-35, the fact that Su-35 was designed around many of its most advanced systems from the outset provides several advantages. These include a lower weight, less complexity, and somewhat better overall performance. The aircraft’s cockpit, mission systems, and electronic warfare suite were built around a single coherent design philosophy rather than evolving through several generations of upgrades. 

In May 2025 General Director of the United Aircraft Corporation Vadim Badekha confirmed that work had been initiated to increase production of the Su-35. Nevertheless, the Russian Aerospace Forces are projected to receive the aircraft at a significantly slower rate in 2026 and 2027, as the production capacity at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aviation Plant is focused on meeting large export orders from Iran. The factory was reported in early July to have completed the production of 20 of the fighters for the Iranian Air Force, with 28 additional fighters having been ordered.

Ninety-six Su-35 fighters are estimated to have been ordered by foreign clients, excluding a further 35 cancelled orders, with Iran accounting for half of these, while China procured 24 primarily for testing and technology transfer purposes in the mid-2010s, and Algeria and Ethiopia have ordered 18 and six respectively. Domestic procurements have far exceeded the program’s projections, with the program initially expected to see 100 fighters produced for domestic use and 100 more for export. The fighter type has continued to be modernised incrementally, with a major milestone being the integration of a much improved new primary air-to-air missile, the R-77M, in 2025.